Unofficial news and tips about Google

March 13, 2013

No More Google Reader

Google announced that Google Reader will be discontinued on July 1st. It's a sad news, but it was inevitable. Google Reader has always been "on the chopping block" because it never got enough traction.

Everything started with a feed parser built by Chris Wetherell that turned into a feed reader, helped by Ben Darnell, Laurence Gonsalves, and Mihai Parparita. The product was launched in 2005 as a Google Labs project and it was significantly improved one year later, when the Google Reader team launched a completely new version. Over the years, Google Reader integrated with iGoogle, added social features and handled feed serving for all Google products. Back in 2007, Google Reader crawled 8 million feeds and 70% of the traffic was from Firefox users.

In 2011, Google removed Reader's social features and replaced them with a Google +1 button. It was the beginning of the end for Reader, who lost all the engineers from the original team. Google Reader is in maintenance mode ever since then.

While feeds are no longer important for many users and browsers start to drop support for reading feeds, social networks make newsfeeds popular and mobile apps like Flipboard simplify reading the news. Feeds are now a behind-the-scenes technology and full-fledged feed readers seem outdated.

"We know Reader has a devoted following who will be very sad to see it go. We're sad too. There are two simple reasons for this: usage of Google Reader has declined, and as a company we're pouring all of our energy into fewer products. We think that kind of focus will make for a better user experience," says Google's Alan Green.

It's hard to find a replacement for Google Reader, since Google Reader was the most popular feed reader and the competition couldn't keep up with it. You can still find some web-based feed readers, but none of them is as good as Google Reader. Congratulations to everyone who worked on the Reader team and thanks to all the people who subscribed to this blog in Google Reader.

I have to agree. I think Feed Readers are the tool of the power user who are the minority. The majority of people are satisfied with Twitter, Facebook, Reddit, and other aggregates but where do the people that post to those places get their news. RSS feeds are efficient.

I moved to Newsblur, the end of Google Reader does not mean the end of RSS feeds. I got this article by being subscribed to its RSS feed.

After all these years it's really hard to leave, for example, Gmail. But it's not hard at all not to commit to any of their services as long they don't guarantee their continuity. Next Google Wave? It doesn't matter what it looks like, just don't use it until you have absolute certainty that they're not going to close it.

I am an IT consultant with 20 years of experience. How can I recommend my customers to start using Google Docs? To invest time and resources in migrating to Google Apps? To develop in Google Apps Engine? To use Google+? What kind of guarantee do I have for those investments? Absolutely none.

You may say what you want about Microsoft, and it will almost certainly be true, but they don't treat their customers this way. Maybe it's just Microsoft doesn't do things in this new "cloud way", so it's easier for them to manage this kind of situations, but truth is Microsoft would never leave you hanging like this. They discontinue products, of course, but they don't leave you out of alternatives like this.

Given this news, who in their right mind would now even consider embracing Google+? Is there anyone who is absolutely sure that Google+ will remain active in, say, 5 years time? Of course not.

Stop experimenting with us, Google, make up your mind about what you want to do, how much you want us to pay for it AND STICK WITH IT. No more Google Waves.

Well, the nice thing about Google is they don't lock your data into their services. So even if one of those apps you mentioned does get the axe, I know I'll still be able to export my data to another service. As for Reader, it took me all of 1 minute to transition to feedly. I'm sad to see Reader go, but at least Google lets me take my data with me.

Now I'm sure. It WILL export them but you can't use them in other feed readers as they only accept subscriptions and not your starred items. And starred items are in different file and not with subscriptions xml file.

This is sad news :/ but it also opens ways for me to look for others. As because of Google Reader I was not thinking of any other. Though I have used Feed Demon, Snarfer and some web based feed readers but I kept coming back to Google Reader as it was in some ways better than them. One of the most important advantage of Google Reader is that you have your feeds whenever you want and neatly arranged. It archives feeds so that even if source content is deleted you can still access them. I will be happy and sad at the same time.

feedly - the reader app that connected to google reader works on a solution to make a seamless transition to their own system. So if you already use feedly you might keep all your stuff. And that would be great.

btw did someone ever use Google Wave or this other social network/twitter thing? :)

While the giants buy innovations, why don't they give it back if they are not interested in it anymore?!It's ridiculous to let it die.

Google is making it damn hard to be a Google fanboy. First you fuck up Google Shopping by prostituting it, then iGoogle, not as bad a death, but still. Now Reader? You MFs, WTF? Now I'm really concerned. I'm in KCMO, will be getting Google Fiber in 6 months. What happens in a few years when Google decides it's tired of Fiber and screws us? Shit. Google, you and Microsoft and f'ing Apple are all the evil f'ing triumvirate of tech!

Chill out, mate.The whole reason they did this was to make services like Fiber, Docs and Drive better. When they sort those products out they'll find a way to make it up to you. Be patient. Google loves you.

I am disappointed. I wasn't thrilled about loosing iGoogle but that was just my personal preference but I use Google Reader as part of my job. Its a great way to keep track of the blogs, topics and people I follow. This really sucks and now I need to spend energy finding a replacement instead of just working.

So so sad. My time on the internet will decrease and my productivity time at work will increase :-( What should I do in my spare time when I don't have google reader?I guess having kids is the next step for time consuming.

Flipping through the headlines only and drilling into only to stories you realy care. That's the strong and wide habit for many.

Many people don't use social networks or staff like flipboard for following blogs and news just because that - they can't flip through the headlines only. Like many news websites Google reader doing this. Its very important for me too. For many people. How will we do it now?

I'm really disappointing that you're killing reader. It's the only way I read the most of internet. I just don't get the point. I'm going to be wary of using google products in the future because of this.

For an alternative to Google Reader, try out Feed Fiend, available at http://feedfiend.com. It has a simple interface and a one-click subscribe tool that makes it easy to keep up with feeds. It also has a filtering tool to find keywords in your feed. It is totally free, so go give it a try.

WHAT? NO MORE GOOGLE READER?Google: ARE YOU CRAZY?How I'm supposed to keep up with the news?

Google reader changed the way I search for news!Google reader changed the way I surf the web.With Google reader I can look efficiently at an enormous amount of news, all in one place.

Hey Google, do you really mean that I need to back to the old habit of opening a website, looks for news, open another website, looks for news.... but, hey, I have more than 500 RSS feed in my Google reader, How Can I open 500 website? I can't...

So, not having Google Reader will slow down by a a factor of no less than 10 my ability to surf the news, to surf the net, to keep up with interesting things...

Google reader is 100% news, 100% interesting things, 100% efficiency!And Google is trowing that out of the window... :-(

This is so sad.

Once upon a time I was using an offline feed reader, it was not bad... but then I discovered Google reader, so much faster, so much better!

Do I really need to find another offline RSS feed reader? does they still exist?

Really no more Google raeder? I have a feeling thata the Google executive team is doing more than "spring cleaning." I have Google reader installed, but I don't ever use it. Never liked it all that much.

If google reader is killed, it does mean that Google does not care about its users... It's a strong signal sent by google : "Don't be too dependant with our services, because we can stop them whenever we want, we don't care about you".

I don't understand why Google who wants me to do everything in their ecosystem would make a choice to start trying to kick me out. First iGoogle and now worse Google Reader gone. Why can't they just let it sit there? I've never had any issues with it and we're not asking for new features. Just let it continue as is. How hard would that be?

"It's hard to find a replacement for Google Reader, since Google Reader was the most popular feed reader and the competition couldn't keep up with it." So why the HECK would you shut it down?! Please reconsider!!!

Very bad news. Reader was my main tool for viewing and receiving news. I previously had an offline reader but loved Google Reader as it kept my multiple systems in sync.

"...It's hard to find a replacement for Google Reader, since Google Reader was the most popular feed reader and the competition couldn't keep up with it...."

I have looked at the "new" feeders like flipboard but for me they fail how is it possible to scan hundreds of articles efficiently? Today I only look at the title and click if interested, I use reader as index or table of contents.The newer RSS ideas try to deliver a newspaper and instead of say thirty single line articles on a page they get maybe five. So I need to spend longer trying to find those dozen articles in a feed of hundreds that I want to spend time reading.

The reason why lots of people use reader is it works for how we, the users, want it to. No bells and whistles, just efficient information delivery. I certainly cannot see myself using any of the social media platforms to replace Reader as I will never find the news I want.

Gutted and slightly edging towards angry that Google is just going to nuke its Reader product despite a large following that use it every single day, especially without even providing some sort of alternative suggestion. They really need to reconsider this until an actual better solution comes along. Social is too messy (plus it's not possible to move my feeds to any social accounts).

I actually support Google doing this. RSS feeds are getting somehow old and it was obvious that something is not quite right here. It was to be expected (in a weird way).

I was mainly subscribed to google's blogs on GReader(ironic). If closing of reader means I will not get to read news about Google, so be it. I will or will not find another way.

New ways of 'getting' stuff from internet are coming/have already come.

I thing that reading RSS feeds is basically concentrating on the parts, rather than on the wholeness of the websites. It's like a third party service that doesn't have(provide) the real qualiy of websites/blogs themselves. And I think that we should concentrate on the wholeness/quality, no matter what. I think that websites should provide a way for us 'following' their content, in an (kind of) RSS way, but not RSS. At this moment, on twitter there is follow, on google+ there is circle/follow. But if websites want us to 'follow' them, they should provide BETTER content that they do today, because I think that the content they provide today is mostly not suitable for everyone. Maybe some people just don't want to be so (damn) SOCIAL. Like me-I am all about REAL privacy, and on today's internet, there is like, no privacy at all, at least when it comes to facebook. I also want to mention that I am not comfortable with google's +1 feature, because it's all PUBLIC at it's just not acceptable. Google expects us to provide our real names, and to feel safe on internet and all, but it's just too soon for that. Because at this moment, the web is a BITCH. The crimes happening in today's world are just too damn awful. Because of this, I actually want to give google the authority to prevent those crimes from happening. But this is just way too much off-topic for now.

Maybe the "follow-allowing" websites don't provide enough content. Maybe the content it's too social for everyone. Maybe some new companies should emerge from this, some new ways of getting to read stuff that you care about. I don't know. But I know, I can live without GReader, or RSS, for now. RSS's future doesn't look good to me.

The future is is not known, just as we didn't know they will shut reader down.

But I am glad, because if they think the service they're providing is low quality, then I don't want to USE their low quality service either.

Believe me, if they think they could do something out of Google reader, they would. It wouldn't matter at all if not many people are using service. I somehow feel that it's right to shut it down. I also think that no one should have, like 500 feeds in their subscriptions.. that is way too much and "unnatural". Someone said they have 3000 starred items. When exactly were you planning on reading those items?

Let's see where web will take us in the future..or at least, let's see what google had in mind when we come to this question. cause I don't know.

With RSS(Google reader), it was kind of incomplete/unwhole way to 'follow'.And without RSS, something needs to improve/change. Because I am not all that happy with ways to follow without RSS, today. The future will tell us.

Today, I will quit GReader, and I will start using some other online-based feed reader, but later on, who knows?

Dude,you must be some little IT-scholar who always annoyed by the fact that little fishes can't compete to big fishes.Most of us are NOT happy that 1 of the main softwares of G will be killed.So,try to be not happy either.For many of us it's not unnatural to have dozens of subscriptions.Also not natural to have many thousand starred items.Imagine....if those were starred,then they have already read :D.Millions of people are reading thru GR for YEARS.And this would continued - at most of us - till the rest of our lives.But G got mad as always and just simply kills it.Yes,i do believe the blog part will share the same fate in the near future.Many blogs are inactive.Memoirs of past thoughts,feelings,pictures etc.But they all important.Still.And great to find them on the net.You think everything should be erased in the name of everything must change ??? I hope not and i hope you agree with me.Don't go to china shop with axes in your hands,please.

I think dozens of subscriptions are a normal number. And if you've read all those starred things, that just fine and ok. Now you have an option to choose a new reader. That shouldn't be too painful. I think that you can export everything, even starred items and import them somewhere else. Sure there are no "real" reasons for discontinuing reader, and surely that this change(transition) will be hard for many.

I don't think that anything should be deleted in the name of that things should change(improve).

We have right to hate google for this. I'm just saying, the transition won't be hard, for me

Dudey,where to ? Where to transport all our starred,shared,noted etc items ? We can save them in json files.You want us to import these to FFox ? I try to keep FFox bookmarked items and feeds as low as possible.My browser needs speed to use it.What are the choices ?

Maybe the blogs are dying too.. I mean, look at all those google's blogs. Something is weird about it all. And it need's to unite, in a way unknown to me. Maybe the future will integrate blogs into social networks (not just with them), url style, so there isn't something like:gmailblog.blogspot.com/insidesearch.blogspot.com/adsense.blogspot.com/

..but it will be something like this:https://plus.google.com/+Gmail/blog/https://plus.google.com/+AdSense/blog/

God damn you Google! You want to screw with all of us.You just wanna flush millions of users down ? I need a correct explanation!!! Facebook will continue the project or what ? I hope you don't want to induce heartattacks in us.Tell the truth!!!

Actually, I will go without a feed reader at all and see how it's supposed to be done. I saw that you post a link to every blog post on google+; that is a nice way to follow. Either that, or email subscription option for every new post (that is also a good alternative). You should incorporate that into your blog somehow, so that you get a sidebar like this blog has: http://buzz.blogger.com/ (There is an email subscription option on the right side, and I think every blog should have that option.)

But in the future (on G+) I think you will have social content in "Posts" tab and blog posts in "Blog" tab. And I think you should have an option to not even display Posts(social) tab, or any tab for that matter, if you don't want to.

I mean, you know of the new YouTube tab in google+?

The whole thing(transformation) already began, and we are in the middle of it, or maybe more like beginning.

what's wrong with you people? i really love and respect google, but canceling google reader is the worst decision ever made so far. whyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy, there's not even a good alternative for google reader, what's wrong with those people? besides, i really like starring items and reading them later on an online account that i can access them anytime any where without software. seriously, what's wrong with you people?

I am really sad about this. Gmail and Reader are a team for me. I work a lot of hours a day and this is my only way to be informed with everything from tech news, home recipes, fashion blogs and friends blogs. Seriously I really think there is a way to save this amazing feature. One of the things that I love the most is that no one ever block google reader in offices, like they do with other social media places, like facebook and twitter.

The thing is that you people now what errors were made and how to fix them. Is really a bad decission. I hope you reconsider this.

This was a big letdown for me, i woudn't mind if they never updated this again, just keep it working.

But what I would like was for google to donate the google reader to the opensource comunity,if they did it with some of their other products why not with Reader as well. That could ease the "pain" caused to their loyal users.

Seriously, Google. What is wrong with you? What other company tosses aside like garbage a successful product used by millions of loyal fans?

Sad? I'm not sad. As a reader and producer of feeds, I am pissed!

How does Google Reader get the axe and Google+ limps on? If I cannot trust you to maintain your products, I will find trustworthy replacements for all of them. No Google Calendar, no Google Apps or Docs; maybe it's time to look for a new email service. I hear Microsoft has one.

Honestly, I am less and less satisfied with Google. Reader discontinued, they throw out the add block apps from Android store, the Wave debacle (yes, I loved Wave), the new Gmail features are mostly bloatware for me, etc.Yes, Google IS nice, but not THAT nice. Google should tread more carefully...

Worst, move, ever. GReader is by far, the product I use the most. Google is going to show me many less ads by killing the Reader. And NO Google, in about 10 damn months, I have never, ever clicked on the stupid google+ link. Or the fuc*** privacy raper facebook.

I don´t want to be "social" I just want to keep my way of reading Internet and getting information as simple, quick and easy as possible.

WHAT??? You tell me the following and switch off the G-Reader???"It's hard to find a replacement for Google Reader, since Google Reader was the most popular feed reader and the competition couldn't keep up with it."

Are you serious? This is fucking ridiculous. Next you switch off Google Mail or what?Time to say goodbye to Google. You are not longer trustworthy.

My argument is that those that "moved away" from Google Reader to use things like Feedly, twitter or Flipboard, is that they weren't real users of Google Reader in the first place. It's like my hotmail account, sure, I "use it", in the sense that I check it once a month when/if I remember.

Bottom line is that online RSS aggregators don't generate enough revenue. If Google can't make money on it, no one else can (see the demise of Bloglines). So my takeaway from this is that I will have to use a desktop RSS aggregator.

It's a sad day when Google decides to kill off one of their best services. Shame they'd rather focus on a useless service like Google + rather than adding in social functions into Reader. Google's going downhill fast.

Hiya again ,Johndoe :o) !Of course yours is the only positive here.I tried Feedly in my FFox and the lol thing is when i subscribe something to Feedly,it will appear in my GR :DDD.So,they ARE connected.Don't know what will happen when GR dies.Also,Feedly can't do anything with starred items.They just left out.I always marked(starred) those articles which were important.Hardly used it for later reading.So,i'm coming back here in the hope that people suggest really gr8 alternatives.Thanks for all of them in advanced!!! Maybe an article needed about comparing the existing ones.

I didn't export starred items because I don't really plan to use another feed/news reader.

So I exported them by hand(opened links and bookmarked them). I had less than 100 of them, but it took me at least 15 minutes. I don't know if there is any reader at all that can import starred items, or notes. I think for notes, it's very unlikely.

There are already many articles on the net offering alternatives like these:http://lifehacker.com/5990456/google-reader-is-getting-shut-down-here-are-the-best-alternativeshttp://lifehacker.com/5990509/best-google-reader-alternativehttp://www.fastcompany.com/3007030/tech-forecast/digg-building-its-own-top-priority-news-reader

Feedly will continue work after GReader dead. For the moment they sync with GReader but after it will be standalone solution, that only use your Google account to identify you. You can find your stared (GReader) items in the Saved part of Feedly.

OK; at this moment I can realistically imagine that Google will one day sunset also its search engine. After all, Facebook search is already there, right?

Killing Google Reader is a monumentally sad news. I never received the Google Operating System blog news in other way than via RSS. And many others. It was efficient. It was popular. I cannot believe this is happening.

In some years it will be an epic tragicomedy: how Google perished to its own hubris and achieved to lost all the loyalty of their former power-users. Did they think seriously that us reader users would change reader for plus? Did they actually know what reader actually was?

GReader is perfect with my N7. I have 2 dozen shortcuts on my home screen. I'd be ok with switching to something else, if something else comparable was available. Unfortunately for us grownups on mobile devices, it seems like all the alternatives think we have to have big pretty pictures plastered all over our screens or we'll get bored. I want to read, hence Google READER, not Currents or Pulse or whatever trying to guess what I want to read instead of just giving me text. I suppose this is how it feels to no longer be a member of the target market. Ooooh look…pretty pictures!

The thing is, you cannot keep up with Google, they can remove any service at any moment. At think that's the worst news that shows at our face.So, now Google release a new service, called Keep, does it worth even to try knowing that they are already many services doing the same for longer? Maybe you start to use it and they decide is not worth to continue with it.I think we got the message.Don't do Evil, bullshit. Make Money!

As a high school teacher I use Google Reader as the daily activator. Students blog on current events and learn how to politely critic each others grammar. Its a shame that Reader is going away but as an educator we will adjust

It's really a bad decision, supposedly because the service was in decreasing usage phase. The reality is more that it is not a cost efficient product and not that is a not used service. They want to move user to other services like G+ but they should have provided a real alternative before announcing GReader end of life.G+ is not a good solution to follow lots of information sources. And the real weakness of G+ facing to blogging world and other new social services (like Pinterest, Tumblr...) is that G+ have no API for integration.BTW GReader users won't switch to other Google services, they switch to other solution. Simply bad strategic decision from Google, disappointing so much users. :(